What These Top Bowhunters Know That Will Help You Take More Deer
Day 4: Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland Tells Us How to Take More Deer with Our Bows
Editor’s Note: If Robin Hood only had known what bowhunters today know, and if Robin Hood had had the archery equipment bowhunters now use, he could have fed fresh venison to all the peasants of Nottingham. For many years, these professional hunters’ livelihoods have depended on their woodsmanship and accuracy with bows and arrows. Although the life of a professional hunter seems glamorous, after spending time with these bowhunters I’ve interviewed for this week, I realize they work harder and spend more hours even today trying to learn about bowhunting and the whitetails they hunt than any other hunters I know. Their advice always has helped me find and take more bucks with my bow.
 Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland of West Point, Miss., the vice president of Mossy Oak in charge of TV and video production, grew up in Mississippi. For many years, he’s picked productive tree-stand sites for himself as well as for the hunters and the cameramen who film Mossy Oak’s TV programs and videos. Strickland reports that, “I believe 90% of the reasons a good bowhunter doesn’t take a deer is due to the noise factor.  To learn how much noise you’re making:
* “Oil, and grease your tree stand. Then climb in that stand. Next move around in it to make sure it doesn’t squeak when a deer’s in close, and you’re ready to take the shot.
* “Think about squeaky arrows or cams. At one time I used furniture polish on my arrows to make them so slick that they wouldn’t make any noise when I drew back my bow. Today Scorpion Venom makes an arrow-release fluid. If you put that on your arrows, not only will those arrows not make noise when they come across your rest, they’ll be so slick you may not be able to hold on to them. I’ve found that this product makes my draw absolutely silent. Scorpion Venom also makes a lube oil to keep your cams silent. Deer will hear you in a heartbeat when you draw, a bow if it’s got any squeak in it.
 “Some other tips that will improve your bowhunting include:
* “Shortening your draw length. I always set-up my bow 1/2-inch shorter than my draw length. If you’re squatting down in a tree stand, kneeling on the ground or turning around in the stand to make the shot, you don’t really have time to think about form. You have to spend all of your thinking time looking for that pin sight and making sure you’ve got your pin on the spot on the deer that you want to hit. When I draw my bow back, I don’t want to have to think about whether my shoulders are relaxed, my toes are pointed the right way or any other elements related to form. I just want to be sure I have the string all the way to the back wall and my pin sight where I want my arrow to land to make the shot. I want my bow to be comfortable enough for me to shoot, so I don’t have to worry about form. Setting my bow up 1/2-inch shorter than my draw length means that when I hit that back wall I know that string is all the way back. Then all I have to do is aim and shoot.
* “Using a kisser button and a peep sight. With these two devices, I know that my form’s right when I get the string back to where it’s supposed to be. Too, I quickly and easily can tell that I’ve got my anchor points set, and my body lined-up. I also should be able to see where the arrow will land.”
Tomorrow: More of Ronnie “Cuz” Strickland’s Tips for Successful Bowhunting for Deer
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